Stuck in a Rut?

You're not alone.  Wonder how you got there and why you can't get out?
The answer is both easy and difficult. 
Whether it's a food rut, emotional rut, career or relationship rut/hole/deep dark place, etc.  it is plain and simple.  The culprit is FEAR!
Fear of the unknown wrapped up with fear of change and fear of letting go, fear of loss, and the biggest, fear of being unloved.

Continue reading On Ruts and Fear.

Everyone is fearful of change.  There is so much wrapped up in just the idea of it that most of us would much rather cling to the old, worn and familiar ways than try something new or tread some new path.  When it's happening to us directly, we can feel as if the earth is moving under us, caught in our own personal earthquake.  And then when we are shaking things up for change, it can be equally scary for those around us because it forces THEM to change as well. 

Somethings I've noticed about change:

You will want to go back: old relationships or relationship patterns, self-defeating habits, self-destructive tendencies, bad eating habits, all the ways we have of holding ourselves back from being the fullest expression of our selves.  We are creatures of familiarity and crave routine as much as this bores us to death.  We love eating the same foods over and over again, as much as they make us sick and do nothing to nourish us.

So get in your boat.  It will float.  It will be rocky for sure, but slowly pull away from the dock, feel the panic and pull to go back.  But know that you will be perfectly fine, and there is so much to find and explore along the way.

Love Attracts More Love. 

This is the thought I have been thinking again and again lately. It seems to me such a simple thought, but an important one to me.  

How is love present in your life right now?  Are you getting as much as you need? Are you giving as much as you'd like or are you holding back in some way to protect yourself from fear of rejection or old hurt and pain?

Most importantly, to truly be able to give and receive love fully and openly in any relationships, it all starts in how you feel about yourself: how you care for yourself body, mind and spirit and tend to your own needs and desires-which may seem selfish to most of us-but is the most important step before even being able to accept another person's love into your heart.

How can you be more loving to yourself? How is your relationship to your own body? How do you nourish yourself? When you look at yourself in the mirror do you see someone you love, who is loved or someone who doesn't feel worthy of such love?

It takes so much time and kindness, forgiveness and self-care to fully love ourselves and no amount of love from another person can bring us that self-love we so need in order to fully love another.  If we are constantly looking for outside love and adoration and approval, we are really just looking to see ourselves reflected back in the other and that is a very temporary fix. 

Love yourself, love spreads infinitely, then comes right back.

 
 

Iron needs increase in pregnancy to support a growing baby and to make up for blood loss during delivery-daily requirements increase to 27 mg daily.  We get iron from animal foods and plant based foods, with animal based foods having the most easily assimilated iron in the body. 

Symptoms of iron deficiency anemia can result in fatigue, headaches, dizziness and impaired immunity. 

Iron deficiency is quite common during pregnancy and your midwife or OB may put you on a prophylactic iron supplement toward the end of your pregnancy just to make sure you are not iron deficient.  While increasing some supplements during pregnancy is not a bad idea, iron does not pass through the system as easily and can build up in the body creating a toxic environment and can cause oxidation which is damaging to cells and tissues. 

To make sure you are getting enough iron, but not too much, first, ask your Dr. to check your iron levels before taking an extra iron supplement that you may not need.  To keep your iron levels at a healthy level,  you can boost your iron intake by eating the following foods packed with iron as well as cooking with a cast-iron skillet which leaches iron into the food (especially of an acidic base-think tomato sauce):

Plant based sources:

quinoa
lentils
pumpkin seeds
blackstrap molasses
spinach
kidney beans
soybeans
swiss chard
cashews
hazelnuts
barley
tofu

Animal sources:

shrimp
sirloin
turkey
light canned tuna (in light moderation in pregnancy)
chicken
pork loin


If you think you may have iron deficient anemia, consult your Dr. or midwife.

Most of us would like to change some aspect of our lives for the better, but most often we don't know where to start.  Dreams, fantasies and visions are the first step on this path.  These are our mind's powerful signs to pay attention to; often times our heart telling us what we really want and need to do. With less time to lead contemplative lives, we often pass off the daydreams or visions we may have for ourselves.  We feel guilt at having quiet time to go inward, "do nothing" and pay attention to what we really need for ourselves to be truly happy.  When we envision our lives with purpose and feeling, we are more open to inviting that energy into our lives, and with that, opportunities to get what we really want.

If you'd like to start envisioning changes in your life, here are some ideas to get you started.

Journaling-a wonderful way to find out what you really want and to practice truth and being honest about your feelings, desires and dreams without anyone else judging you.  Journaling takes practice, and has the most benefit when you are brutally, brutally honest with yourself.
1st step, get yourself a journal you are drawn to aesthetically that you will want to pick up again and again.  Better yet, make your own! Next step, set aside some time when you will be relaxed and can write freely.  It doesn't have to be long or even daily but the more you practice the easier it will flow.

Dream Tracking-We get subtle clues about our lives and desires in our dreams.  We often feel compelled to tell others about our dreams, and sometimes they are so vivid we have trouble distinguishing them from real life.  Writing down your dreams, either in a journal or a dream journal, you wil be able to start to notice any reoccuring themes, and give yourself clues into any fears or anxieties that may be holding you back from accomplishing your goals.  Since dreams are often fleeting, it's best to keep a notebook beside your bed and write as soon as you wake up or you may find that dream may be lost by the time you get around to jotting it down.

Create a Rich Fantasy Life-Why do so many of us think fantasizing is a waste of time? How many times are we told to "get real".  Why do we push our fantasies away, even when they are enjoyable? Most of us are afraid of never really getting what we truly desire, and some of us are afraid of what would happen if the fantasy DID come true. Indulge yourself, let your fantasies go.  The more you enrich your fantasy life, the more clues you will be given by the frequency and reoccurring nature of your fantasy.  The fantasies you have most often are the ones that are telling you to take action.

 



 

 

If you don't typically cook your meals at home, chances are more of your paycheck is going to take-out and restaurant meals than you even realize.  This really adds up.  You may also have the best intentions of cooking but because of poor planning or lack of energy or being too hungry when it comes time to cook, you break down and order out and by the end of the week most of the food you had planned to cook during the week ends up in the trash. 

 In my programs I help others by teaching them how to plan meals and shop effectively, and how to cook delicious meals at home with fresh, whole ingredients.   You will save money and have more control over what is going into your food, and into your body. It's amazing the changes I see in my client's lives when cooking is reintegrated into their routines.

Top Five Reasons to Cook at Home:
 
-Add up a typical week's expenses for meals and snacks bought out.  If you buy 1-2 meals  out per day plus a coffee or other snacks, it could easily be costing you over $25 per day-that's over $175/week.

-Cook once, eat twice. In my programs, I recommend whole-food meals that are as simple to prepare as they are delicious and you will most likely be able to eat it more than once.  For example, if you cook a big pot of brown rice, you can make a stir fry and then use the unused portion for a breakfast porridge or a sweet treat such as rice pudding.

-Cooking is healing.  Chopping vegetables, measuring, stirring and tending to food with care can be meditative and relaxing.  Taking the time to cook for yourself and your family is deeply nourishing for both body and spirit.

 -You know what exactly is going into your food.  As you become more aware of what you are eating and feeding as fuel to your body and cells, the quality of this fuel becomes very important.  For instance, when eating out, chances are the quality of cooking oils is questionable, and most likely the produce or meats are not organic unless specifically stated.

-Bonding at home over meals makes families and relationships stronger.  With most of the day spent outside the home and families separated for work and school, eating a home cooked meal, conversing and talking about your day, laughing, looking at each other and listening is a way to reconnect that most of us are literally starved for.  Also, in the comfort of home, we are able to relax more, making digestion more efficient.     

Feeling out of balance?

Yin and Yang qualities are based on the Chinese philosophy of opposites which can describe food and lifestyle choices.  Some say it can be an oversimplified way of thinking, and on the other hand it can be said that the simplicity allows one to be able to easily see the imbalance in a person being diet, lifestyle or relationship.  We all have some of each quality but usually we are one more than the other.  In terms of diet, it can be a way to breakdown cravings: for example, if you eat too many raw foods (Yin), you may crave cooked or over cooked (Yang) foods to compensate for the imbalance.  If you eat a lot of salty food (Yang) you may have strong craving for sweets (Yin).

Some qualities governing Yin include:
Cool, dark, feminine
Energetic: upward energy, expansive 
Emotion/Mind: sensitive, spacey, scattered, happy
Food: raw, alcohol, sugar, baked goods, candy, soda, fruit

Qualities governing Yang include:
Hot, light, masculine
Energetic: contractive energy, inward
Emotion/Mind: anger, aggression, grounded, focused, strong
Food: cooked, meat, salty, eggs, chicken, beef, fried food

The traditional American diet is very Yang.  We are an aggressive, fast-food nation that has grown up most recently (as of the late 60's) as children of highly processed, convenience foods, eating meat twice or more a day, eggs for breakfast and salty snacks in between.  Then we wonder why we are having cravings for sugary sodas, candy bars, ice cream and pastries.  The body has a way to try to fix the imbalance-crave the food that is the opposite!

Recommended reading:
The book Food & Healing by Annemarie Colbin

While husking an ear of organic corn I found a nice, juicy worm munching away at his dinner (and mine).  I don't mind sharing my food with insects, and I feel even better if they are alive when I find them as this is proof that my food has not been sprayed with a chemical that kills.

This is food I feel good about giving to my family, and makes me think twice when I have the choice between going with organic or conventionally grown produce. 

But what to do when access to organic is not possible or beyond budget?

The Organic Center has just released a list of conventionally grown produce with the most pesticide exposure so you can feel comfortable picking conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with the least amount of harmful chemical residues, and stay away from the ones with the most. 

The "ORGANIC ESSENTIALS" POCKET GUIDE FOR MINIMIZING PESTICIDE DIETARY RISKS" can be downloaded for free at www.organic-center.org

I love to sing.  I had actually forgotten how much I love to sing until my son was born-now I sing daily.  I sing in the car with the radio, while cooking, while dancing and make up songs with my son.  He loves to sing too, and a recent favorite of his is now "Walking on the Moon" by the Police.  I wouldn't say I have the worst voice, but I'm no Alecia Keys and some days he's had enough and it's "stop singing Mommy!"  There are some days though that I don't sing as much for whatever reason, and I have noticed there is a marked difference in my mood. 

The vibrations that travel through the body through singing can release blocked energy and relieve tension, especially in the chest area, where tonal vibrations are most intense.  This is due in part to the vibrations themselves which can travel through muscle, bone, tissue and organs and act as a massage of sorts and also through the deep diaphragmatic breathing that is activated through singing. 

Even if you think you don't have perfect pitch or an ear for music, try singing.  And if you really don't want to sing, listen.  There are just as many healthful benefits to listening to your favorite music.  And who knows, maybe you'll even want to get up and dance!

I recently posted about ways to stop unwanted junk mail. Lo and behold, my letter to remove myself from lists generated by the Direct Marketing Association was returned to me- "Unable to Forward"  Hmmm. 

Here is the updated address and instructions to remove yourself from lists for 5 years.

Start by sending a postcard or letter to:
 Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643

Include your complete name, address, zip code and a request to "activate the preference service". For up to five years, this will stop mail from all member organizations that you have not specifically ordered products from.